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The final request made by Dolly Parton to her family before she passed away has been revealed.
News broke on Tuesday (August 25) that the artist had tragically passed away, days after stating that she still had "so many things" that she wanted to achieve.
The 'Jolene' singer had provided fans with a health update to People on Friday, admitting that she didn't pay much attention to her "issues" while caring for her husband, who died at age 82 in March 2025.
Parton was dealing with several health issues prior to her passing, yet the announcement still came as a shock to fans.
But the Tennessee native also had a message for her family before she passed away, even after giving a heartfelt message to fans at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Honors.
In the lead-up to Parton's death, the country music legend requested that one thing be done following her passing.
The '9 to 5' singer asked that she be laid to rest in a “beautiful bed of plush cotton,” less than a week before she died.
Parton said in her last speech to fans, which was broadcast virtually at the ACM Awards last week, that "songwriting has been my therapy," and that it was "a gift from God that has allowed me to touch people with words and music."
Her nephew, Brian Seaver, confirmed her passing in an Instagram video, explaining: “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.
"As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
“After a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”
The statement went on: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.
"But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens."
He said that she was "surely met" by her late husband, Carl Dean, and her parents, as "countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens."
Parton's nephew also paid tribute to how she “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life, and across every continent.”
TMZ reported that the 'Islands in the Stream' artist was hospitalized with "kidney and autoimmune issues” at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, days before she passed away.
Speaking in her final address to fans at the ACM Awards, she admitted: "You know, I've been able to do many things throughout my life, but at my core, songwriting has always been the most important part of who I am creatively.
"Every dream I ever had and all the dreams that I've been able to see come true in life, well, they all started with a song."
She made numerous appearances this year, candidly admitting to fans that she was battling some health issues - the ACM Awards tribute was her last full message to her loyal fanbase.
The artist's publicist revealed in a statement hours after her death that she passed away following a "brief battle with cancer," as per Sky.
Parton's final public appearance came in late June, when she cut the ribbon at her Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop.
